The Crack in the Mirror
by Chyna Rose
Summary: With the battles over the Digidestined go on with life and love. But there's something wrong with Daisuke. Will Daisuke gets the hlep he needs before someone gets hurt? Shounen-ai, heavy lime, innuendo, and strong language.
1. Picking up the Hammer

The Crack in the Mirror Compaq Normal Michelle Strauss 2 162 2001-11-11T00:04:00Z 2001-11-11T00:04:00Z 8 2909 12917 Compaq 369 137 16102 9.3821 0 0 The Crack in the Mirror By Chyna Rose 

Chapter One: Picking up the Hammer

Hikari 

     It's been calm since our tour in the Digital World.  And in that time, we've all grown.  Joyu graduated from high school.  He's currently taking a full tour of the medical field in order to find his niche.  Tai's still on the soccer team.  He's spending his last year as team captain.  Koushiro, Sora, Yamato, and Mimi are also in their senior year.  Mimi's here because of an international student exchange program.   Sora still works with her mother in the flower shop, but her interest lies more towards living plants.  Yamato's fan base has grown, and he's already been approached about a record contract.  Koushiro has his pick of any of a number of computer companies after he gets out of high school.  Iori's in his final year of junior high.  You didn't hear this from me, but there's a spot for him on the Kendo team.  

     As for the rest of us, we've started our first year of high school.  Ken's still in Tamachi, but the rest of us make tracks to good old Odiba High.

             ~~~@~~~@~~~

     "So then **he said…"**

     We've all got our place here.  Miyako's not only the vice president of the computer club, she's also the head of a rather vicious rumor mill.  TK's on the basketball team.  I've gotten involved with the cheerleading squad and have been thinking about joining the drama club.  As for Daisuke…

     Daisuke's Daisuke.   He's on the soccer team, and according to my brother, still good friends with Ken.  I mean, we're all still friends, but we just… hang in different circles.  He may be one of the best soccer players, but he's still not very popular.  There's just something… wrong with him.  I can't put my finger on what though.

     "Earth to Kari.  Come in Kari."

     "I'm sorry.  I was just thinking about something."

     "Obviously."

     "Anyway, I was just talking about Shinobu."

     "Do you think he's gay?"

     "I don't know.  Hey!  Isn't that Daisuke?"

     "Yeah.  It is.  What's he doing?"

     Of course we all looked.  Daisuke was looking for a place to sit.  This wasn't anything new.  It usually takes Daisuke a while to find a place to sit in the cafeteria.  Being unpopular, he often gets turned away.  I don't know why, but a lot of people are just plain hostile to him.  It's one of the reasons he doesn't even try our table.

     Anyway, as Daisuke was looking for a seat, he just stopped.  It was weird.  He just stood there staring into space.  He stood like that for about ten minutes.  I've never seen him so still.  After a moment, he just shook himself out of it and muttered to himself.  He looked around a bit more, then left.

     "Can you **believe Daisuke? Why just the other day, he did the ****stupidest thing."**

     "Miya, don't you think you're being a little harsh about him?"

     "Come on, this is Daisuke we're talking about.  The same Daisuke who thought that playing soccer in a thunder storm was a good idea –not to mention the way he kept hitting on you."

     "But he's our friend."

     "He's a jerk. What?"

          ~~~~~

_Taichi_

What's with us today?  Half the team's not paying attention, the other half seems to have forgotten how to move, and Daisuke must be playing on another planet altogether!  To make matters worse, we have a big game against Tamachi in a week.

               "Okay team, stop what you're doing and huddle up!"

               The coach had an emergency to attend to, and rather than canceling the (much needed) practice, he left me in charge.  To be honest, it was easier leading the army in the Digi World against the dark masters.  At least they were listening to what I was saying.  The team stopped (attempting to) running the scrimmage and centered around me fairly quickly.  (apparently Daisuke was indeed among us here on Earth.)

               "What's up with you guys today?  I have bnever/b seen you play so badly.  Half of you weren't even on the same playing field."

               As I went into my rant, mentioning at least on specific complaint per player I took the opportunity to take a good look at the reactions of the team.  Most had the good sense to look apologetic.  Touji kept glaring at me, (not much I could fault him with if the ball never came close to the net) and Daisuke... Well, he seemed distracted.  Kept glancing behind him, as if there was somebody -or something- there.  I made a note to get the heads up from Kari.  If she couldn't tell me, I'd ask Tailmon to interrogate Chibimon, and beg Sora to grill Jun.  Between his digimon, his sister, and the rumor mill, I'm pretty sure I can figure out what's wrong.  Under the threat of canceling the night out we got back to practice.  This time, everyone was back up to speed.  (though Daisuke still was a bit out to lunch.)

          ~~~~~ 

_Ken_

     Sometimes I don't understand my best friend.  Scratch that.  **Most of the time I don't understand my best friend.  I'm resigned to the fact that I will never fully understand him.  He has this… quality about him.  I can't explain what it is, simply because I'm not entirely sure what it is.  All I know, is that it is irrevocably ****him. (which ****must say something)  I've seen sides of him that the others haven't even ****begun to approach.  I have spent hours contemplating the mystery that is him.  And every ****single time I think I am  just about to figure him out, he does something unexpected, and I'm left guessing all over again.  If I ever get tired of trying to figure him out, I better be dead.  I…**

     I shook myself out of the trance I was in brought on by watching him.  He may not realize it, but he tortures me.  His closeness.  The way he's always touching me.  And knowing he only sees me as a friend.  But I'd rather be tortured than be without him.  His abundance of energy keeps me going.  The way he flits from topic to topic like a hummingbird.  His hands.  His beautiful, **perfect, artistic hands.  Hands that mold themselves around the pen, or controller, or Popsicle, or…**

     "Excuse me.  I'll be right back."

     I think Ami's starting to rub off on me.  That girl must have the largest collection of hentai I've ever seen.  And she's not above vividly describing ever lurid detail of whatever story she's writing.  (then again, who am I to talk?  After all, I **did agree to be her beta reader.)  If there was anyone to blame for the unleashing of my rampant hormones, it would be her.  Her or Daisuke.  Daisuke just ****exudes this sexual energy.  It's in his ever movement.  It's… It's… It's enough to drive someone mad.**

     These are dangerous thoughts.  Thoughts that lead to dreams of whips and chains and… him.  I don't pretend to know the motivations of my alter ego.  He wasn't me, really.  In one of his more philosophical moments, Daisuke had said that the Kaiser was my id.  He went after whatever he wanted with no regard for the consequences.  In my heart of hearts, I know he went after Daisuke for more reasons than he was the leader of the digidestined.

     But enough about that.  Now that I've calmed down a bit, I should get back to him.  Who knows what he's come up with in the time that I was… otherwise occupied.

     "Hey Dai?"

     "Yeah?"

     "What happened to the bathroom mirror?"

     "Someone broke it.  I had to tape it up before someone got hurt."

     "Oh."

     "I've **got to show you this new game I got.  Red Alert 2; Yuri's Revenge.  Some of the graphics are killer."**

     "What kind of game is it?"

     "Command and conquer.  It's a lot like Starcraft."

     "I think My command and conquering days are long over."

     "There go half my games.  How about Quake?"

     "I'm not really in the mood for killing sprees."

     "The only other game's the Sims."

     "Hmm… Manipulating the lives of others… I'm in."

     "I hope Jun didn't evict our guys again."

     "If she did, we could sabotage here people."

     "I thought we were going to do that anyway."

     Apparently, Jun took out some wrath on the entire computerized neighborhood.  Only one house remained intact. (the single occupant near death)  Daisuke replaced the fridge (affording it through the sale of the gravestone set in an inaccessible shrine) and checked to see what had happened.

     "June got toasted while Matt was at work.  Jun put the grave where Matt couldn't go.  She apparently got mad that Matt wasn't mourning June and decided to punish him.  She kept him from going to work, the toilet, and getting food.  I think she deleted the others when they wandered over.  Well, there are a few things we can do.  Let Matt suffer, kill him, delete him totally, or save him."

     He and Jun have turned a simple computer game into a war zone.  She'd evict his characters, he'd drive a wedge between hers.  She'd sell his fire place, he'd redecorate her house.  

     "If she thinks that will stop us, she's got another thing coming."  

     Jun isn't stupid; neither of them are.  She's just very… it's hard to describe, but it isn't stupidity.  She tends to overlook facts such as Yamato's not interested in her, for some reason Midori is, (at least according to Daisuke.  I really have to ask Miyako about that next time I speak to her.) and Daisuke can create new Sims and build new homes for them.

     "Ken.  Ken.  Earth to Ken."

     "Sorry about that.  I was just thinking."

     "About what?"

     "Nothing really."

     "If it was nothing, then why'd you space out?"

     "Hey Ken, Dai.  Mom told me to come and get you.  Dinner's ready."

          ~~~~~ 

_Sora _

     I once got pulled into a conversation about cafeteria food with Mimi.  I can't remember why, but Daisuke was there.  (Each grade had their own lunch period.)  Mimi mentioned that the food offered for lunch by her school back in New York was just as bad as what they were serving here.  Daisuke  said that there was this world wide conspiracy to subvert and brainwash students.  That the bad food lowered our natural  resistance to it by not giving us the right stuff and killing our moral.  Yama later said it had something to do with making a lot of food at one time on a short budget.  There are times when I can easily believe Daisuke on the cafeteria food thing though.

     "Hey Sora."

     "Hey Jun.  What's up?"

     "My idiot brother taped up the mirror in the bathroom for absolutely no reason.  He can be so weird sometimes."

     "But then again, weird **is Daisuke's middle name."**

     "Midori!  What's new on the gossip front?"

     Midori and Jun have to be two of the biggest gossips in the whole school.  They will talk about anything that happened –or was said to have happened– for hours on end.  And unlike Miyako, they never do it out of malice, no matter who they were talking about.  This trait usually ensures that no-one can stay mad at them for long over the gossip.

     "I have it on good authority that Touji's setting his sights on Koushiro."

     "Miki's not going to like that."

     "Never mind Miki, Tai's not going to like it."

     "I also heard that Touji's going to use it to test Daisuke." 

     "Dai would never do it.  He isn't like that!"

     "Calm down Jun.  We don't know if Touji's really going to try to involve Daisuke.

     Touji's essentially the school bully.  It's not surprising that he's picked Koushiro as a target.  Koushiro isn't a jock, and he doesn't try to hide the fact that he's dating Miki.  Touji and his gang don't like gays.  Daisuke usually puts up with whatever they do to him –just as long as they don't beat him up or force him to hurt someone.  So far, they haven't crossed the line.

     Yamato and Taichi joined us, and we got down to the serious business of idle gossip and identifying our lunch.  Midori, Jun, and Mimi were doing most of the talking –not that any of us minded.  It was just business as usual.

     It's kinda funny, if you think about it, how Midori and Jun are such close friends when Miyako and Daisuke are constantly at each other's throats.  None of us can figure out exactly **why Miyako and Daisuke don't get along.  Oh, we have our theories, but the truth still eludes us.  Neither Daisuke or Miyako will tell us what happened.  My money's on something having to do with Ken.**

     "Hey, isn't Jon's birthday coming up soon?"

     "Yeah.  Masaharu said that it was going to be a costume party this year."

"Do you know who's invited?"  
"Hiei, Kenji, Masaharu of course"

     "I'd be surprised if Masaharu **wasn't invited."**

     "Miki, Koushiro, most of the soccer team…"

"It's going to be a killer party as long as Touji's gang doesn't crash."

     "Jon **always throws great parties."**

     "Jun Motomiya?"

     "Yes?"

     A girl I vaguely recognized as being in Kari's class wandered over to our table.  She seemed nervous.  The conversation at the table fell off suddenly.  We knew this meant trouble.

     "Your brother's in the nurse's office.  He got into a bad fight after gym class."

     "Do you know who else was involved?"  
     "Takeru Takashi.  I think Touji Osaka had something to do with it, but I'm not sure."

     "Is TK alright?"

     "I don't know.  From what I hear, Takeru threw the first punch.  I wasn't there when it happened."

     Jun and Yam followed the poor girl out. They may **look like Tai and Yama, but they've never gotten physical before.  Daisuke may be brash and tactless, but he usually doesn't push people to the point of violence.  (the whole Kaiser thing not withstanding.)  TK's one of the last guys I'd picture to start a fight.  Something had to be up.**

     ~~~~~ 

_Takeru _

     I winced as Yama tried to put ice on what was developing into a beautiful shiner.  I had gotten into a fight in the locker room at school with Daisuke.  No matter how bad I looked, Daisuke looked about ten times worse.  **He held back.  I beat the shit out of him.  What he said, just went too far.  I am ****not like that.**

     "What the **hell were you thinking?  Starting a fight like that."**

     "Oh, like you've never started a fight with Tai.  He pushed me too far.  I just… snapped."

     "What happened?"

     "We had volleyball for a change in gym today.  Daisuke was a mess.  He just couldn't pay attention.  He caused us to lose to a bunch of girls.  Girls!"

     "What's so bad about that?  Sora's always beat my butt in soccer, and I've learned the hard way that you just don't play Miyako in pool for money."

     "That's not the point."

     "Then what is the point?"

     "Daisuke messed us up.  And it would've been perfectly fine if it wasn't for Touji and his cronies…"

          ~~~@~~~@~~~ 

     Me and Daisuke were busy getting changed when Tenshi approached us.  Daisuke didn't seem upset at our loss.  Of course, I'm not sure he even realized that was lost.  He can just be so… dense sometimes.

     Anyway, Tenshi walked up to us.  Touji was a few lockers down with Jon.  The other Jon.  Usually those three are inseparable.

     "Pitiful game, huh Takashi."

     "You got **that right! We got trounced by a bunch of girls."**

     Tenshi settled himself on a bench.  Jon helped Touji hobble over.  Touji wrenched his ankle tripping over Daisuke.  I was surprised when Touji didn't retaliate as soon as the teacher wasn't looking.  He's that kind of guy.

     "Well volleyball **is a sport for girls and fags.  Don't you think so Takashi?"**

     "It wasn't so bad.  It would've been better if **someone was actually paying attention."**

     "I still think that whoever likes it is either a girl or a fag.  Are you a girl Takashi?"

     "Most certainly not!"

     Tenshi kept talking.  Touji was standing right behind me, leaning on Jon.  Daisuke still wasn't paying attention –as usual.

     "If you're not a girl, and you actually like volleyball, then you must be a fag."

     "I am **not gay."**

     "So what if he is?  There's nothing wrong with being gay."

     "Is that right…"

     "Yep.  I know he's been interested in Iori for over a year."

     "Are you going to sit there and let him call you a fag?" Touji whispered in my ear.  I was already fit to be tied, so I did the only thing I could think of.

          ~~~@~~~@~~~

     "I punched him.  Then it just kind of escalated."

     "So you got into a fight because Daisuke thinks you're gay."

     "I am  not gay!"

     "Calm down bro.  I'm not saying you are.  But you can't tell me there isn't some guy you see and say 'he's **got to be gay'.**

     "But me and Iori?"

     "Maybe he thinks it has something to do with the whole Jogeress Evolution thing.  I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks I'm seeing Tai on the side.  Doesn't make it any more true though."

     "But Tai's bisexual.  And he's hit on you.  And you didn't cream him for it.  And… And… And **I am not gay!"**

     "Methinks you protest too much little brother."

     "Oh shut up." 


	2. Swinging, Swinging

The Crack in the Mirror 

By Chyna Rose

Disclaimer: Digimon = Toei. The breeds = Cynthia Piedmon's Lady. Akio and Midori = the fan community.  Everyone else = me.

Chapter Two: Swinging, Swinging

Mrs. Osaka      "Daisuke.  Daisuke.  Daisuke!" 

     "Huh?"

     I sighed.  It was already a long day and it was barely ten.  During the break between classes I'd have to step out and take an aspirin or two.  Oh how I wish I could go home and put my feet up; maybe take a nap…

     After a few minutes, the laughter died down.  (Although why Daisuke would laugh at himself escapes me.) Daisuke stared at me with a look of utter confusion.  Before I had gotten his attention, he was staring blankly ahead.  This wasn't the usual far away stare of a daydreamer, or the glassy eyed one of pure boredom.  Trust me on this.  After thirteen years of teaching, I know all the stares a student can pull.  (Very helpful to in deciding how to handle their inattentiveness.)  The stare Daisuke was displaying was the stare of someone just not there.  Add to the fact that Daisuke was one of the people who usually couldn't sit still if their life depended on it, yet this time he was still as stone, and you will understand why I decided to let this lapse simply pass.  (To be honest, he looked frozen in time.  Maybe I should cut back on the sci-fi until **after** the baby is born.)

     "It's your turn to read the poem you had to write for homework."

     "Oh.  Oh!  What's not real has no soul…"

     His poem was… different.  The other poems were either butterflies and rainbows, anarchy rules, or love is a force.  One of the reasons I happen to love giving this assignment, is the insight into my students it provides.  I combine it with their stares to judge what's going on in their lives with pretty good accuracy.

     But Daisuke's poem didn't fall into any of these categories.  It wasn't light and happy, or dark and depressing, and love didn't get mentioned even once.  Quite frankly, it was refreshing though odd.

     After he finished his poem, (most of the class didn't like it because it wasn't anywhere close to what they had done.  I even heard Miyako mutter something about Daisuke messing up again.  I really **should** find out what she has against him.) I made a note to keep an eye on Daisuke; find out if any of the other teachers have noticed anything wrong with him.  Maybe even ask the school counselor to talk to him.  But first, I have to get through this class.  And that means listening to the same poems I have heard in one form or another, year after year, since I started teaching.

          ~~~~~

_Yamato_

     After Mimi came back to Japan, she decided that, even though we weren't need in the Digital World, we should still get together.  Since no-one could give her a reason why not to do this, we now get together once a week.  And as long as it's nice out, we meet in the same park we used in the past.  

     We met in a playground area that was mostly forgotten.  This allowed the digimon to wander about freely.  By the time I got there, most of the others were already there.  Daisuke and Ken were taking advantage of the small swing set.  Miyako was setting out a blanket for the food and glaring at Daisuke.  Koushiro was relaxing against a tree with Iori.  They weren't doing anything; just sitting there.  Koushiro didn't even have his laptop nearby.  I really should thank Miki for helping him get away from the stupid thing.  Mimi and Sora were sitting under a different tree; gossiping no doubt.  What **is** it with girls and gossip anyway?

     Tai and Kari weren't here yet.  (Joyu had a family emergency and had to cancel.)  TK was behind me sulking.  He had gotten suspended for a week while Daisuke only got three days, so he was in a perpetually pissed off mood.  

     "Hey guys."

     "Hey Yama.  Hey TK."

     "Hey."

     "Takeru, what happened?"

     "I got into a fight with Daisuke at school.  It looks worse then it is."

     TK wandered over to the others –no doubt to tell them what happened.  I found a spot to wait for Tai and Kari near the swings.  I watched Daisuke and Ken from behind the pair of sunglasses I had put on before leaving the house.  (Sora said they helped with my 'look'.  Most of my fans agreed.)  They were happily talking despite the fact that they were busy swinging.  Daisuke was putting his considerable energy into it, while Ken managed to make the action look graceful and dignified.  They both seemed happy.  Daisuke had a number of visible bruises, (courtesy of my brother no doubt) but he didn't look like he cared about them.

          ~~~@~~~@~~~ 

     "Hey Yama." Tai said as he placed an arm around my shoulder.  I ducked out of it and took a playful swipe at his head.  Even after all this time we still play fight.  It's one of the things that defines our friendship.  We each know that the other doesn't really mean anything they do.  We have an understanding.  "You going to Jon's party?"

     "Kinda hard for the Teenage Wolves to play without me.  Masaharu, Hiei, and Kenji hired us as a joint present.  They even have us learning a new song; a translated American one."

     "If anyone can do it, you can."

     "Hey guys!  Since everyone's here and getting hungry, we figured we'd start the meeting already."

     Chibimon and Minomon quickly abandoned their game and hurried over to the picnic blanket.  Ken slowed down and stepped off his swing.  Daisuke, on the other hand, jumped off of his at the highest point.  He landed hard, but brushed himself off as if nothing had happened.  

     As Daisuke began to walk past a clump of bushes, he stopped.  He began searching through them for **something**.   I walked up behind him to see what was going on.

     "Daisuke?"

     "There's something in there.  I heard it moving."

     "It was probably a bird or a squirrel.  Now why don't we go eat?"

     "But…"

     "Daisuke, stop being an idiot!  Nothing's there, so stop looking."

     Daisuke kept looking for a few more minutes before giving up and joining the rest of us on the blanket.  This led to a small bout of musical places because some people didn't want to sit near someone and had to sit next to someone else.  Once we got settled down, we had to get down to business before we could eat.  The Digital World was doing as well as it was last week, and the only threat to this one was war in the Middle East, which we really couldn't do anything about.  But then, when **wasn't** there war somewhere in the Middle East?

          ~~~@~~~@~~~ 

     "So what are you going as for Jon's party?"

     "Well, it's kind of hard to describe.  Miki and I are as net runners."

     "Net runners?"

     "Think of them as the next wave of hackers.  It's a combination of cyberernetic implants and wearable computers.  Between the two of us, we had enough spare computer parts to cannibalize for the costumes." 

     "Sound's cool.  Sakura's made a bunch of werewolf costumes for the band.  There's no way we can get out of it.  Not if we want to keep Akira in the band."

     "Yama, I don't envy you.  I don't know how you can stand her."

     "Who said I could?  Sakura's an over emotional control freak.  She runs Akira's life, and he doesn't care. None of the others can stand her either.  It doesn't help that she accuses them of trying to steal Akira from her –even Tori. Never mind the fact that Akira's completely strait."

     "So what are you doing Tai?"

     "Army general.  I thought it would be cool if I could add my tag, crest and goggles.  But I can't really find anything the right shape for the tag."

     "I could probably make a copy of them for you Tai.  I've already got everything I need for my costume done."

     "What are you going as?"

     "It's a secret."

     "All I can tell you, is it involves black hair dye and dark make up.  I saw her pick it up when I went to pick up make up for my costume.  I'm going as a porcelain doll."

     "So Daisuke, what are you going as?"

     "Daisuke's going? Why wasn't I invited?  I'm way more popular than **he** is."

     "Jon knows Daisuke, and he doesn't care about popularity.  He never did, and I don't think he's gonna start any time soon."

     As the conversation drifted away from what people were going to do for the party to the feud between Daisuke and Miyako, (I know better than to get dragged into such a conversation) I took the opportunity to watch Daisuke again.  Daisuke was currently looking over his shoulder, and I guessed he had been doing that well before Miyako got offended that she didn't get invited to something Daisuke did.  I wasn't the only one to notice this lapse in attention.

     "Daisuke?" Tai asked.

     "Hmm?" Daisuke replied once he finally turned to face us.  He threw a desperate glance where he had been looking.  Which happened to be exactly where the clump of bushes he had looked through earlier were.

     "You've been very distracted lately.  Is anything wrong?"

     "I think there's a Jeramon following me.  But every time, I get close to him, he hides.  I don't know what he wants from me."

     "Well, there's nothing you can really do until he makes his move.  So, do you have a costume yet?"

          ~~~~~ 

_Masaharu_

     "A little more to the left… There! Thanks Kenji."

     "No problem.  Is there anything else you want me to do?"

     "Think you can handle placing a few candles?"

     Preparations for the party were going great.  The party wasn't going to start for about another half an hour or so, and so far things were running smoothly.  The band was setting up with the help of Taichi, Miki, and Koushiro. (who had all volunteered to do so.) Hiei and Kenji were helping me and Jon (mainly me) set up everything else.  Jon had locked the door to his parent's bedroom (the only place where guests couldn't go) and had left.  They weren't going to be back until one.  And as long as there was no drug use, we kept the music down after midnight, and we didn't trash the place, they didn't care what happened at the party.  

That's one of the things I like about his parents.  They're very accepting; more so than mine were, seeing as I nearly got thrown out of the house when I came out.  They also told us that this house could be used as a safe house for anyone who's parents couldn't handle their sexuality.  Along with Mr. and Mrs. Izumi, Mrs. Takenouchi, Mr. and Mrs. Ikari, Mr. Iwakura, and Ms. Kiryuu, the Mizukis make up a kind of homosexual underground.  

     People started arriving early in groups of two and threes.  Mimi and Sora out did themselves this time.  Not only did they look great, they not only looked great, but they also acted the part.  By seven thirty, the party was in full swing.  Practically everyone invited was there, along with a few people who weren't.  I went into the kitchen to grab some food after it finished cooking.

     While I was waiting for the timer to go off, I looked out the window.  It was bound to be more interesting than looking at the stove and oven.  

     I saw Daisuke walking up in a leather creation.  (Don't even think about it; you have Jon. And he may not even swing that way.)  Daisuke kept looking behind himself, and I could see why.  A-ko, a brown tabby missing an ear who belonged to one of Jon's neighbors, seemed very interested in him. (Note to self: drag Jon into his bedroom as soon as I see him. Maybe I can even convince him to get some leatherwear later. God I'm horny tonight.)

     "What do you want?" I heard Daisuke yell at A-ko. A-ko sat down and looked at him. Daisuke glared at her and walked away.  He got about four steps before he realized that she wasn't leaving.  "Leave me alone!  I am sick of your following me wherever I go."

     A-ko jumped onto the banister in front of the apartment, and continued to stare at Daisuke; just out of his reach.  The timer went off, and I turned my attention to getting the food out and tracking down my boyfriend.  I'm sure no-one would mind if we disappeared for a while to spend some 'quality time' together.

          ~~~~~ 

_Ami_

     I was glad that my friends and I decided to crash Jon's party.  It was worth it.  Not that Jon minded us being there, since he's a fan of our work.  I quickly spotted Ken, with Miyako hanging off his arm.  Ken did not look happy.  In fact he looked like he needed rescuing.  But how to go about it… Ah.  An idea.

     "Pink Butterfly and Cupid's Poppy I presume."

     "And you are…"

     "Brimstone Alpha.  And a friend of Kind Cruelty."

     "You must be the leader of the Demon Wing."

     "The one and only."

     "So what brings you here besides the spread?"

     "I need to enlist your help in getting Phlying Phreak away from Kind Cruelty." 

     "What do you need us to do?"

     "She's already met me, Shale Gamma, Bloodstone Delta, and Pyrite Chi. I need you to inform Granite Sigma that I'm going to need him to go into Gambit mode."

     "Gambit?"

     "He's a superhero in an American manga.  Pretty much like Touga Kiryuu from Utena.  And as long as he keeps 

his pants on, he'll be able to distract Phlying Phreak without freaking her out for the rest of the night."

     "Why would she freak out?"

     "You really don't want to know."

     Sora made her way over to where Misato was watching the band (and getting bawled out for checking out one of the band members by some girl in a crepe paper dress) and passed on the mission parameters.  He casually made his way over to me, and I briefed him about what I had planed for Miyako.  After making a mental note to get one of the wing to help me enact Operation: Nanami's dress on Jealous Girl.

          ~~~@~~~@~~~ 

     Deep into a conversation with Mika, (best friend and second in command) Daisuke showed up.  Miyako was off somewhere with the charming 'Remmy'. (hope he remembers she may not take well to a guy in women's underwear) God Daisuke looked hot in that leather.  If I didn't respect Ken as much as I did, I would've been all over him. Luckily, I could take all the photos I wanted without betraying my friend.  And I was supremely thankful that I had my camera when Ken and Daisuke saw what the other was wearing.  Damn.  They just stood there gaping at each other, and I **swear** both of them were having some obvious blood flow problems.  I could always use that photo to set them up **if** they don't drag eachother into an empty room sometime during the party first.  After a waiting a respectable amount of time, I made my way over to Ken in order to be properly introduced to his lust object.

     "Hey Ken.  Who's your friend?"

     "Hello Ami.  This is Daisuke."

     "Hey Daisuke.  I've heard quite a bit about you.  Nice costume.  I think it looks great on you, don't you agree Ken?"

     "Ami…"

     "What?"

     "That's an interesting costume.  Where'd you come up with the idea?"

     "Thanks.  My friends and I came up with it when we started the Demon Wing.  It seemed to fit who we were and what we were doing.  Although I seem to be at a loss over what you and Ken are supposed to be." 

     "Well, Ken came as the Digimon Kaiser, and I came as Daimon."

     "I think I remember Ken saying something about a Digimon rpg once, but he never said anything about a Daimon."

     "I think that's enough Ami.  Why don't I go introduce you to Jon."

     "Masaharu dragged Jon off towards the bedrooms about ten minutes ago.  I don't think they'll surface for another hour or so.  But I'm not surprised that Ken didn't tell you much about the whole Digimon thing.  It's something we like to keep secret." 

     "Thank you Daisuke.  You're being very helpful.  I like that in a friend.  Now tell me"

     "Ami!"

     "Remember who you're talking to Ken."

     "But…"

     "Ken, you wouldn't want some of the things I know about you to leak out now, would you?"

     "You wouldn't!"

     "Just try me.  Now Daisuke.  Are you and Ken very close?  He talks about you all the time."

     "Of course we're close.  He's my boyfriend."

     Have I mentioned that I love my camera?  When Ken found out that, not only did Daisuke like him back but was under the impression that they were already dating, he chocked on the soda he was drinking.  Perfect blackmail material, and evidence that he should never doubt me when I say someone's going to do something.  Daisuke muttered something about not feeling well, and I left Ken to escort Daisuke to the bathroom before he puked on the floor.  (not something I envied him having to do.)  It was time to make my rounds and gather the reports.  It was a good night.


	3. A Midswing Day's Dream

The Crack in the Mirror  
  
By Chyna Rose  
  
Chapter Three: A Midswing Day's Dream  
  
Daisuke  
  
I hate the flu. I can never keep anything down when I catch it. But at least if I'm sick, I can draw. That is, if I'm not too busy leaning over a bucket, or the toilet, or the sink. Damn.  
  
I haven't seen Ken since Jon's party two days ago. But he's usually busy with school, and stuff. I think Taichi and Sakura also got the flu. (Couldn't happen to a nicer girl. I'm surprised Yamato hasn't skewered her with his Light Swords yet.)  
  
Chibimon was asleep in the nest of blankets he made. I was working on a Neon Genesis Evangelion doujinshi. I had the story line done, along with most of the panels. It was a fun way to pass the time.  
  
"Hey brat! I got the doujinshi you wanted. I hope you enjoy them. I got chewed out by this woman with a bunch of gardening magazines. I can't believe you actually like that sort of thing. I mean, Trowa and Duo? Hello! They're both guys Daisuke."  
  
"I know that Jun."  
  
Jun really doesn't hate gays. She just hasn't gotten over the fact that Yamato and Taichi are involved (Yamato's just seeing Sora because he's not ready to come out to his fans. Both Taichi and Mimi understand) and she's still confused about how she feels about Midori. I've seen the way they look at each other. It's the same way the rest of us look at the person we love. They just need time to realize it.  
  
And it's not like she doesn't have her own stash of shounen-ai Visions of Escaflowne doujinshi hidden under her bed. (Including one I drew a few months ago and sold under my pen name) My sister's a big hypocrite, but I still love her. She's the only sister I've known.  
  
Jun dropped the doujinshi at the foot of my bed and left. I put down my art supplies and leafed through the stack; six Gundum Wing, four Utena, a Cowboy Beebop, and a Greenwood. Aside from the fact that I just plain like reading them, I like to keep an eye on the competition. Hey, it's how I make most of my pocket money.  
  
Halfway through an Utena title, the Jeramon that had been following me, popped out of my laundry pile. He had a pair of my boxers perched on his head.  
  
"I thought I told you to leave me alone."  
  
"You did, but I couldn't stay away from you."  
  
"Why do you keep following me?"  
  
"I have my reasons."  
  
"And I'm questioning what they are. Now tell me before I lose my temper and Light Wave you into next Tuesday."  
  
"You wouldn't do that."  
  
"What makes you so sure that I won't?"  
  
"Because you'd also take out the wall behind me. And how would you explain that? Not to mention the fact that you may hurt your innocent sister in the process, and we can't do that, now can we."  
  
"You monster!"  
  
"Why thank you."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Why you of course, my dear Daimon. With you by my side, we could rule both worlds. Not even your illustrious father or that upstart prince managed even half as much."  
  
"Leave Ken out of this!"  
  
"So Daimon cares for you Kensumon. How nauseatingly sweet."  
  
"Of course I care for him. I love him!"  
  
"Love who?"  
  
Jun poked her head into my room as Jeramon dove back into my dirty laundry. Chibimon froze trying to untangle himself from the blankets he used as a sleeping area (he likes to burrow) and a storage space (as soon as I'm well I'm gonna have to check his cashes under the guise of cleaning my room) as soon as he heard her voice.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"You have a visitor."  
  
Ami peeked out from behind Jun. I didn't really know her well, but since she was one of Ken's genius friends, I figured she was okay. Ami came in and sat on the edge of my bed while Jun returned to her room. Ami picked up one of my new doujinshi and raised an eyebrow. I blushed at having one of my guilty pleasures exposed to someone I had just met. (not that my friends knew about it anyway)  
  
"Interesting reading. If you like these, I have some Pokémon ones you can borrow."  
  
"What brings you here Ami?"  
  
"I came on the behalf of Ken to talk to you."  
  
"He's not mad that I told you about us, is he?"  
  
"Why would he be?"  
  
"Because he wanted to keep us a secret. He was scared others would hate him for being gay."  
  
"Ken's not mad at you."  
  
"He's not?"  
  
"No. He isn't. Daisuke, he loves you. If he's mad at anyone over this, it's me for goading you into confessing."  
  
"So then, why are you here?"  
  
"I'm here on official Demon Wing business."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Demi Leadmon, I am here on behalf of Kind Cruelty. Phlying Phreak has informed Kind Cruelty about a trip she has been planning with the aid of Pink Butterfly and Cupid's Poppy. Phlying Phreak has been left in charge of the invites, and Kind Cruelty has reason to believe that she will fail to invite you. My mission is to ensure that you are kept apprised about the trip so that, if you wish to do so, you can go."  
  
"Thanks Ami."  
  
"No problem. But if Phlying Phreak asks,"  
  
"You were never here."  
  
Ami put the doujinshi she had been looking through when she told me about the trip. As she was getting up to leave, I had an idea. Despite what TK and Miyako will tell you, I do think, and I'm not stupid. I was designed by my father to be able to lead armies. You can't do that if you're an idiot. Not if you wanted to live long anyway.  
  
"Ami, wait. Take this." I said, handing her the doujinshi I had been working on earlier. It was done, but not finished -if that made any sense. Ami took it and looked through the first couple of pages. "A few of my friends know I read this kind of thing. So far, only Ken knows I draw them as well. Since you're into writing this kind of fanfic, it would be easy for others to assume it's the only thing we talk about."  
  
"Thanks. You know, there's probably an opening in Demon Wing if you're interested. We could use someone creative like you." Ami said as she left.  
  
I sat and thought about what she had said. Chibimon emerged from his nest with an open box of Pocky and offered me some. I passed on it cause I knew it wouldn't stay down for long.  
  
"Interesting friend. Can't say I understood most of what she said."  
  
"Those are our screen names. I'm Demi Leadmon, Ken's Kind Cruelty, Miyako's Phlying Phreak, Mimi's Pink Butterfly, and Sora's Cupid's Poppy."  
  
"Then why didn't she just say so?"  
  
"Because it sounds more covert and she was being dramatic. From what Ken's told me, Ami does this kind of thing all the time -especially when it comes to Demon Wing stuff."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why not? Playing spy's fun, don't you think?"  
  
"What makes you think that I'd find doing that fun?"  
  
"You've been spying on my for a while."  
  
"I don't spy on you because I want to, or because it's fun. I spy on you because I need to."  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
"He's just using you, you know."  
  
I tried to ignore Jeramon on my way to the park. I was going to meet Ken there for our date. It wasn't going to be anything special; although any time I spend with him is special cause I'm with him.  
  
"You are just another tool he can use for power. Just like your father."  
  
"Like you'd be any different." I muttered under my breath. Ever since I discovered him in my laundry basket, he's been more forward. At least I now know what he wanted with me. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Jeramon; my lovesick stalker who has my sister's Yamato obsession beat. Wonder if I was ever this bad with Hikari.  
  
"Of course I'm different. I love you, Daimon. Kensumon doesn't care about you. He's a virus. Viruses can't feel love."  
  
"I'm a full virus, and I sure as hell can feel love."  
  
"He was your enemy, remember."  
  
"That was the dark spore's doing."  
  
"The dark spore still resides within him. And, need I remind you, his father was a very accomplished thespian. Just look at his brother Miymon."  
  
"That doesn't change anything. So Ken and Yamato have a flare for the dramatic? So do a hundred other people I know; including Jun, Ami, and myself."  
  
I came through the trees and saw Ken sitting where he said he would. Jeramon headed out of sight, and I filed what he said under M for More Weird Shit. It wasn't time to debate if what some stranger said was true or not. It was time to hang out with my guy; maybe get some heavy making out done.  
  
"Hey Ken! Hope I'm not late." 


	4. Break

1 The Crack in the Mirror  
  
By Chyna Rose  
  
Chapter Four: Break  
  
1.1 Daisuke  
  
Everything was set up for a weekend by the sea. Mimi had booked a small house for the time; one floor, three bedrooms. It sat close enough to the water that it had its own little stretch of beach. We were going in two different cars. Joyu was going to pick up Koushiro, Sora, Mimi, and Taichi in his father's car. Mr. Ishida was picking up the rest of us in his van.  
  
Ken was helping me pack up the rest of my stuff. He spent the night at my house because it was easier than making a side trip to Tamachi for him. Not that either of us minded. I put my art supplies and a bunch of doujinshi into my backpack. Ken was looking through the rest of my collection for ones that interested him -especially Touga/Miki from Utena.  
  
"Hey Ken. Hand me the pencil case over there."  
  
"No problem. Where's Chibimon?"  
  
"I think he's searching through his bedding for food to bring with him."  
  
"Hey Ken."  
  
"Hey Takeru. Chibimon hordes food?"  
  
"Doesn't Minomon? Wait. TK's here?"  
  
"So you can spell my name right."  
  
"Can you wait a bit? I just need five more minutes."  
  
"Why didn't you do this last night? No, wait. Don't answer that. I don't want to know." Takeru said as he flopped (dramatically) onto my bed. He picked up one of the doujinshi sitting there, only to put it down a few minutes later when he saw a couple of pages. Ken put it in his backpack as soon as Takeru let go. Chibimon popped out of his nest with an unopened bag of shrimp chips. Minomon appeared a minute later from a drawer under my bed with Pocky. This cause Takeru to jump off the bed in surprise and land on the floor. (Ken tried not to laugh.)  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
A lot of people don't know this, but I get carsick occasionally. It has nothing to do with the motion of the car. I just happen to be kinda claustrophobic. Some how, I ended up in the back between Ken and Hikari.  
  
So there I sat with my head buried in Ken's shoulder trying to fall asleep. I really didn't feel well. We were trapped in slow moving traffic in the middle of a tunnel. I felt like we had been stuck there for hours. And I knew that if we were going to stay there any longer, I was going to throw up all over my boyfriends' shirt.  
  
"Ken can you please open the window?" whispered pathetically to him. He opened it and draped his arm around my shoulder.  
  
"Ken, close the window will you? It's freezing in here."  
  
"It's not that cold Miyako."  
  
"Not that cold!? Are you running a fever?"  
  
"The weather report said that the temperature wouldn't drop bellow thirty."  
  
"If you're cold, I could always lend you my sweater."  
  
"That's okay Kari. I'll survive some how. You may have to pry my frozen body out of here when we stop for lunch though."  
  
I smiled and snuggled closer to Ken; resting my head over his heart. Miyako's voice faded into the background as she began a heated conversation with her girlfriend. Takeru and Iori eventually got pulled into it, but Yamato was listening to his walkman and sulking in the front seat.  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
"Wake up Dai. We're here"  
  
"Hrmmm?"  
  
"The place Mr. Ishida picked out for lunch."  
  
"Mmrgh."  
  
"Come on. We all need to stretch our legs, and you'll be hungry once you get out of the van."  
  
"Whrmmgh."  
  
"Trust me on this."  
  
That's one of the things I like about Ken. He can almost read my mind -at least enough to know what I'm saying when I'm mumbling incoherently.  
  
Once the van was parked, we all filed out. I have to admit that as soon as I got out, I was feeling much better. The smell of teriyaki did a lot to help my appetite. Hikari and Iori claimed a table for four while their respective others went to get the food.  
  
"So what do you want?"  
  
"Some sort of soup; but not miso."  
  
"Sounds good. Why don't you find go find a table."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The table I found wasn't far from where Hikari and Iori were set up. The place was pretty packed, so we were lucky to find something close by. I waved Ken over as soon as he had the tray.  
  
"Beef bowl okay?"  
  
"It's great. What did you get?"  
  
"Udon. Want to taste?"  
  
"How about we split?"  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
"I thought you were over the flu."  
  
"Shut up TJ."  
  
"Testy aren't we."  
  
"Takeru."  
  
Maybe I should've just stuck with the miso. After we finished lunch, we got back in the van. And after placating them with more food, (Must not think of food. Not good.) our digimon forgave us for leaving them in there while we went to lunch. About five kilometers back on the road, I started feeling really queasy. And after about twenty minutes of arguing with Miyako about having Mr. Ishida pull over, the van hit a bump. A really big bump.  
  
Right now, we were sitting on the shoulder of the highway letting the van air out a bit. Miyako was glaring at me for delaying us. (Like I threw up on purpose.) Takeru was getting a small lecture from his father for goading me. Yamato was still listening to his walkman and leaning against the van. Hikari and Iori were keeping an eye on the digimon. And Ken.  
  
"Way to go Dai. You just single handedly ruined the entire trip."  
  
Ken just threw up. Stupid soup. At least I'm pretty sure it was the soup.  
  
"Miya, it wasn't his fault." Hikari said just before her cell phone went off. Hikari answered it and talked to her brother -explaining why we were running late. Ken slumped down next to me, wiping his mouth.  
  
"Tai wants to know what the last thing you ate was." Hikari asked us innocently as she walked over to where we were sitting. At the mention of food, I began gagging. Ken replied for us.  
  
"We shared a beef bowl and an udon."  
  
"They shared soup. . Tai said that Joyu said that it's probably a mild case of food poisoning and should last a day or two at the most."  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
I could feel Miyako's eyes boring into the back of my head as I stared listlessly at the passing scenery. I sat in the front seat with the window wide open. Ken slept in the middle row with the pail Iori lent him.  
  
It was pretty quiet. We hit more traffic and were reduced to a crawl. All around us, impatient drivers honked madly. Yamato had dozed off to his walkman, while Takeru and Iori played a card game quietly next to him. Miyako was reading a novel and Hikari talked quietly with Tailmon. Then, without warning, Hikari grabbed the pail. Did I mention that I was very grateful for the open window?  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
"Don't worry about it Hikari. You didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"It's just that I feel so embarrassed. That normally doesn't happen."  
  
"Normally you sit next to a window. Besides, I think there was something wrong with the beef at the rest stop."  
  
I slumped with Ken on the porch as all our stuff got unloaded. Since all I wanted to do was curl up and die- preferably somewhere warm and with Ken- I didn't really notice the clouds forming on the horizon.  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
Me, Ken, and Hikari were settled on the couch in the beach house warily considering the broth (not beef thank god) in front of us. The others were in the kitchen eating dinner. Hikari was the first to try it, and after it went down with no problem, me and Ken worked on ours. I managed to make it halfway through my bowl before I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom. After that, I stopped at the couch long enough to tell Ken that I was going to bed.  
  
I crawled into the room the older guys left us and curled up in the first bed I came across. I think I must've dozed off, cause the next thing I knew, I felt Ken's arms snake around my waist.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey. Felling better?"  
  
"A little."  
  
Ken smiled, and I rolled over to face him. Ken has a gorgeous face. His violet eyes are like two deep pools that I could drown in. His hair was like a silky curtain of night. And his smile. His smile had this sweetness that I always found tempting. He was smiling at me now with a warm smile, his body pressed against mine. I leaned over the small space between our lips and kissed him.  
  
Ken kissed me back with a slow heat. I felt our bodies react to the nearness of the other. I slid my hands down his back and pulled shi shirt out of the waistband of his pants. He moaned as I ran my hands up and down his back under the shirt. I carefully slipped my tongue in his mouth wile his hands fiddled with the hem of my shirt. We broke away long enough to remove our shirts. I ran a hand down his side, and Ken buried his hands in my hair. I trailed kisses down the line of his jaw to the pale column of his neck. Sucking gently on the hollow of his throat, I felt his hands roam down my back and settle on my but. Ken let his head roll back to expose more of his creamy flesh to my mouth. I nipped gently at him with a low growl. Ken pulled me even closer and ground his erection against mine. My hands found their way between us and I struggled to unfasten his pants as his hands kneaded me. I finally managed to work his pants open and began to slide them down off his hips. Ken kicked them the rest of the way off and trailed his fingers around to help me remove mine. I moaned into his mouth as his hand brushed gently against my hardness. I wiggled out of my shorts and underwear eagerly. Ken groaned as I reached into his boxers and began to draw him out.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
  
Ken whimpered as I stopped stroking him to look at Takeru. I was too aroused to think, much less say anything. Takeru glared at us, grabbed his duffel bag, and stalked into the bathroom.  
  
By the time he came out in his night cloths, me and Ken managed to crawl under the covers. Takeru tossed my discarded boxers and got into the other bed with a book he had brought. (He must've had a fight with Iori cause he told Iori to sleep anywhere but the bed.)  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
The rain fell quietly against the roof. It was a miserable day; dark, drizzly, and dreary. I was feeling better, as was Ken. Hikari was still getting sick at virtually random intervals. We all tried to find something to do inside. I was lying on my stomach on the bed drawing. Ken was sitting on the bed reading one of the doujinshi we brought. I don't know where the others were or what they were doing. Almost by wordless concession, we stopped with what we were doing and looked at each other.  
  
It turned out that the other guys were watching a movie in the living room. Sora and Mimi were playing cards in the kitchen. We couldn't see Miyako or Hikari, but the door to the girls' room was closed and we could hear music being played loudly inside. So with everybody else busy, we saw no reason why we couldn't be otherwise occupied with a nice hot shower.  
  
We walked through the hallway to the bathroom, pausing every moment or two to kiss. I opened the door long enough to be shoved against the other side of it as it closed.  
  
Ken was just easing my pants down, his mouth tracing the curve of my neck, when I heard a gasp and was confronted with the sight of a naked Hikari fresh from the shower.  
  
"Daisuke?" she asked as she struggled to use her towel as a shield. Ken stopped kissing me, but kept his head buried in my shoulder.  
  
"Kari. I. We." I stammered. She had taken us by surprise. We thought she was with Miyako.  
  
"We didn't think anyone was in here." I managed to squeak out. Ken was still standing against me, his head on my shoulder. Hikari just gaped at us for a while longer. She then shook herself out of it and wrapped the towel tightly around her body. It took me a while to realize that the only reason she hadn't left was because I was blocking the door.  
  
"Well, I'll just leave you two to." Hikari said as she left. At the sound of the door closing, Ken lifted his head and looked at me. His face was just beginning to lose the redness of a blush. And as he went to turn on the water, I looked at the mirror as I began to strip.  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
"What are you doing Daisuke?"  
  
"Looking for some duct tape."  
  
"Why?  
  
Ï stopped to face Takeru. He was leaning against the doorway eating an apple. For a moment we just looked at each other. Then he took a big bite of his apple, and I went back to looking through the drawer for the tape. Outside it rained steadily.  
  
"Because the mirror in the bathroom's broken. I have to tape it up. If I don't do it, someone could cut themselves."  
  
"Oh. Maybe Koushiro knows where you can find some."  
  
"Thanks TK."  
  
Takeru looked out the window. The window itself was a flowing sheet of water. We could hear the steady drum of the rain on the roof. Even though it had a distinct metallic sound, it was still quiet. In the distance, I could hear the low rumble of approaching thunder.  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
"Dai? What's going on?"  
  
"I thought I heard something. I'm going to go see what it is."  
  
"Oh. Be careful."  
  
"I will." I grabbed this baseball bat me and Ken found in the closet. (Someone must have left it there.)Lightning flashed, thunder crashed, the wind lashed rain against the windows, and all those other dark stormy night clichés. As I reached the door to the room, a large boom of thunder sounded. The lights flickered once, twice, then went out. Chibimon woke with a start and spotted me.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"There's someone in this house that shouldn't be. I heard him moving around."  
  
"Can I help?"  
  
"Sure. I could use the extra set of eyes and the company."  
  
We carefully moved out into the hall. With the only light that of the occasional flash of lightning, it was pretty creepy. I kept seeing shadows flickering about in the corner of my eye. As we moved from room to room, finding each one jus as empty as it was supposed to be, I started getting a little scared. It wasn't that I was actually scared of whoever -or whatever- it was, it was just that I felt like I was in a horror movie. And I've seen enough of them to know that if I wasn't careful, I'd be able to find out if born digimon got reformatted. The furniture was nothing more than vague, hulking, figures; a darker form of darkness that only hinted that something was there.  
  
I noticed that one of these forms was moving. It crept closer to the closed door of the girls' room. I knew it had to be an intruder. None of the others would be sneaking in the shadows. I stealthily advanced on the intruder, getting a better grip on the bat.  
  
Within a few moments, I was directly behind it. The next moment stretched into eternity. As I started to swing the bat, (I was hoping to knock him out, tie him up, and call the police once the phones came back on.) the intruder noticed me behind him and started to turn towards me. At the split second the bat connected with a solid thwack, a large clap of thunder sounded accompanied with a flash of lighting that lit up the entire room. And in that flash, I saw the dawning horror on his face clearly in his ice blue eyes.  
  
"Someone call an ambulance!"  
  
The lights came on and I saw Takeru lying in a crumpled heap. There was blood on the bat and more pooling around his head.  
  
My god! What have I done? I killed him. I killed Takeru Takashi. My friend and rival -not to mention my boyfriend's half brother's other half brother.  
  
I felt numb. I was dimly aware of the bat dropping to the floor with a hollow clatter, and a pair of arms holding me as I sank to my knees. Outside, I could hear the faint sound of sirens over the rain. 


	5. Gathering the Pieces

1 The Crack in the Mirror  
  
By Chyna Rose  
  
Chapter Five: Gathering the Pieces  
  
1.1 Daisuke  
  
"This is nice."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"This." I said, gesturing at our intertwined bodies.  
  
We were lying on my bed, enjoying a quiet afternoon together. It had been five months since we were last able to do this. Five months since I accidentally hit Takeru in the head with a bat. We're both doing better, and he's not mad at me -for that anyway.  
  
I snuggled closer to Ken, relishing his warmth. Ken murmured and turned away from me. I carefully brushed his hair away from his neck and kissed him. I rubbed up against him, my intention plain. Ken groaned, and ground against me instinctively.  
  
"What time is it?" he panted as I began to suck on his earlobe. I stopped what I was doing and looked at the clock on the nightstand.  
  
"Nine fifteen." I replied as I grabbed the tube of lube that sat next to the clock. I began to squeeze some of it into my hand.  
  
"Shit!" Ken said as he sat up suddenly. He left the bed and began to search for his boxers. "We're supposed to meet the others at the park in five minutes." He explained as he tossed my clothes at me. I wiped my hand on my sheets. Dressed, I stopped long enough to grab an envelope before we raced out of my apartment.  
  
Mimi  
  
"Sorry we're late." Daisuke said as he and Ken arrived slightly out of breath. This was the fist time in five months that we all were together. And it would probably be one of the last. Come September, Joyu was going to start towards a degree in psychology. Yamato's band was going to go on tour while Tai, Sora, and myself were headed for college. Koushiro had a job with a computer company all lined up. But no matter what happened, the twelve of us would always come here to Odiba on the first of August for a reunion.  
  
"Um, Hikari?"  
  
"Yes Daisuke?"  
  
"Here." he said, shoving an envelope into her hand. "I would've given you this earlier, but."  
  
"It's okay Dai. I understand."  
  
Things were also changing greatly for the young kids. Or at least they were for most of them. Miyako's finally gotten over the fact that Ken likes Daisuke better than her. She's still got a ways to go, but at least she isn't taking it out on Daisuke anymore. Ken's busy adjusting to the fact that he's finally dating his best friend.  
  
It's hard to say who else is facing the biggest change in their life. Iroi's heading into high school and an impending arranged marriage. He's a little nervous about the marriage, (not that anyone who isn't close to him can tell) but he's not even trying to fight it. Although he did suggest that the wedding be put off until after high school. I've met his intended. She's a good match for him. Both TK and Kari are facing the same complication, and possibly the biggest. In roughly three months, Mr. and Mrs. Takeru Takashi will be the proud parents of a bouncing baby. As for Daisuke.  
  
"Hey guys. What's everybody up to these days?"  
  
Daisuke just gout out of the hospital yesterday. He'd been in there ever since he hit TK in the head with a baseball bat. He'll be on anti- psychotics for the rest of his life. It's a big change, and one with few rewards. At least with marriage and kids you have things to look forward to. And teenage motherhood holds less of a stigma than mental illness.  
  
Koushiro  
  
"So what's it like?"  
  
"What's what like?"  
  
I watched as Daisuke stole a grape from Ken and popped it in his mouth. Ken retaliated by taking a sip of Daisuke's drink. After the initial meeting, the group had split up into smaller groups. The conversation in my group had gradually changed to the subject of Daisuke and what he had gone though, seeing as none of us have ever been placed in a mental institution.  
  
"You know."  
  
"No I don't."  
  
"What's it like to be, well."  
  
"Crazy? I might as well ask you what it's like to be sane."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"I think it's hard for anyone to understand unless they've gone though it. You have to realize that I never thought anything was wrong. To me, everything didn't just seem real, it was real."  
  
"Oh."  
  
I could tell that the others wanted to know more about what Daisuke had gone through. I myself wanted to know, but was unsure what effect bringing the subject up would have.  
  
Ken was the only one, outside of his immediate family, who had the most knowledge of what happened to Daisuke. While he was hospitalized, Ken was really the only one of us that Daisuke tolerated. For the first two months or so, he was terrified of Yamato.  
  
Oh, I know some things. Daisuke has a very interesting set of delusions centering around the Digital World. After Daisuke's doctor met Chibimon, she called me in to explain about Digital World, as Daisuke had said that I was an expert in the field. She had brought up the subject of individual digimon, like Chibimon, Daisuke routinely mentioned. A number of them (such as Tialmon, Koumon, Kensumon, and Myiomon) I had absolutely no knowledge of. In fact, I was unaware that they even existed. Later, I talked with Genni. He confirmed that these digimon did not, in fact, exist. Although I wonder.  
  
Miyako  
  
I watched as Daisuke as he lounged all over Ken. Ugh! Why did they have to be so. so. so. open!? It was infuriating.  
  
"It's just not fair."  
  
"What's not fair?" Hikari asked. I blinked, not realizing that I said the last bit out loud. Hikari looked over to where I had been looking all this time. "Oh. Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"I think so. It's just so hard."  
  
It hurts. It hurts that I can never be with Ken the way I want to. It hurts that I'm not the one that makes him smile just by breathing. And it hurts so damn much that I never had a fucking chance.  
  
Not long after we defeated Belial Vamdemon, I told Ken how I felt. He explained why it could never work out between us. After that, things I had seen before clicked into place. Small things. Things that at the time seem so simple, but are so clear in hindsight.  
  
I hated him then. He took Ken away from me. Never mind that the only way I'd get Ken is if I had a sex change operation. Daisuke had Ken's heart right in the palm of his hand. And the worst part was, he didn't seem to notice or care.  
  
"It always is, Miya. But we're all here for you if you need a shoulder to cry on."  
  
"Thanks Sora."  
  
~~~@~~~@~~~  
  
"Daisuke, can I talk to you for a moment?"  
  
"Sure Miyako. What do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Ken."  
  
I could see his face fall a little. Not much, just a bit. By now, everyone knew that I still had a crush on Ken. But I was trying my hardest to get over him. This was just the next step.  
  
"I know you love Ken, and he has loved you ever since the Digital World. He my never return my feelings, but I still care for him. If I ever hear that you hurt him, they will need dental records to identify you."  
  
"Hurting Ken equals messy death. Got it. Although if I actually did hurt him, I might as well be dead. I had a hard enough time ordering Flamedramon to attack a spiraled Metal Greymon."  
  
"So how are you doing, really?"  
  
"Pretty good. It's hard though. I see Hikari and Takeru together, and it just doesn't seem right. Not because I thought she'd be with me, but because I always thought that Takeru loved Iori and Hikari loved you. I have to take pills everyday for the rest of my life, and I don't think I'm even sick."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"It's not that bad. At least I was right thinking Ken liked me back. It would've been pretty embarrassing if he didn't."  
  
"It wouldn't have been embarrassing."  
  
"It wouldn't have?"  
  
"He didn't know how you felt for a long time. All that would've happened, is you going home with a broken heart."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Just be happy with him. And I'm not above a threesome if either of you feel up to it."  
  
"What?" he stammered as I winked and flounced off. I may not be able to win Ken's heart, but I'm not above teasing them. Or about to stop going after his body. Hey, who knows? If they decide to take me up on my offer, it might turn out to be a lot of fun for the three of us.  
  
@----- End 


End file.
